


Goodbye, Tommy

by CassieBeckett



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Conflict, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death, No Smut, Other, Parent Sam | Awesamdude, Platonic Relationships, Protective Sam | Awesamdude
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28610934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassieBeckett/pseuds/CassieBeckett
Summary: Tommy and Tubbo finally face each other, Mellohi hanging in the balance.But Tubbo takes it too far.
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 27
Kudos: 302





	1. Tubbo's Fatal Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> =SPOILERS FOR L'MANBURG FESTIVAL=  
> =WRITTEN BEFORE EVENTS OF DOOMSDAY WAR=
> 
> So... the other night's festival went a little haywire- it was incredible, oh my God. Anyway, I thought that I'd write an alternate ending, if Tommy and Tubbo's duel had ended abruptly for a different reason. 
> 
> I was slightly panicking because the war was today and I wanted to write this before shit went down, so... I'm sorry if it's not the best, but Tommy's betrayal (although sort of expected) absolutely BROKE me and I wanted to add to the already overflowing angst. So, uh, enjoy!

"Tommy?"

Tubbo watched as an invisible, armour-clad figure stood between him and Dream. "Please," Tommy said desperately. "Don't do it."

"How- Why are you here?!"

"Tubbo, you don't know what this- this dickhead is capable of!" He noticed to Dream's smiling face. "Don't just give away my disc because of-"

"But he's- Tommy, you're kind of proving his point," Tubbo said, as calmly as he could. He glanced around at the rubble, and was reminded of George's house. And of the Old L'Manburg.

Tommy flinched. "I- You think I did this?! I wasn't even around here until, like five minutes ago! When I heard Dream having a fucking meltdown!"

"What, are you spying on me?" Dream's voice sounded accusatory; but Tommy heard the trace of amusement beneath it. He was enjoying this.

"Tubbo, Tommy wouldn't lie to me," Technoblade said. "If he said he didn't do this, then I believe him. And so should you."

Tubbo determinedly ignored him, focusing instead on Tommy, who was slowly becoming visible. Now that he could see his face, it hurt even more- because for some reason, he looked guilty. Tommy stared as Tubbo hesitated; and then opened his ender chest.

Without even thinking, Tommy had unsheathed his sword, and shoved himself between Tubbo and the chest. "Tubbo! What are you- what are you doing?!"

"You've proven to me time and time again that you can't be trusted!" Tubbo yelled back. "Why would you tell the truth now?" Tubbo noticed Tommy tighten his grip on the sword.

"Swords. Out." Tommy managed to choke out through his anger. He barely saw the citizens of L'Manburg hurriedly clamber up the ruined walls, trying to escape the crossfire- all he saw was his best friend, aiming for the kill. 

"You betrayed me! You exiled me- you left me to die!" Tommy screamed, swinging towards Tubbo's arm. 

"I thought you'd killed yourself!" Tubbo yelled, blocking. "You let me think that I'd practically killed you!"

"You basically DID kill me! What would it've mattered to you if I'd died? You wouldn't have CARED! You chose the country over me!"

Tubbo jolted forwards, terrified, stabbing Tommy in the side. He barely felt it- he only grinned as he swung wildly, and a gash appeared on Tubbo's face, dangerously near to his eye. They threw countless insults and attacks, each of them growing more bloody by the second; but Tommy was losing fast, moving recklessly, blinded by tears.

"Do you even KNOW what Dream did to me?!"

"NO!" Tubbo screamed hoarsely. "And I don't care! Because you're doing what you always do- throwing a tantrum when things don't go your way! You just hate him because he was enforcing your exile- he was the only one around that you could pin all your hatred on!"

Tommy barely heard him; suddenly, all he could see was Dream in front of him, false compliments, sacrificed armour- the weeks of not having anything other than his smile and his pitying visits. He attacked with more force than he'd ever intended, not holding back at all, and watched in horror as his sword buried deep in Tubbo's arm. 

Tubbo screamed out. And that was all it took- Tommy stopped in his tracks. They both did, panting, in shock at the weight of both of their injuries. Tubbo blindly covered his wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. Tommy didn't even notice the growing red covering his own shirt- he couldn't tear his eyes away from the horrendous wound- he was sure he could see Tubbo's bone through all the blood.

"I... I wanted to- I didn't come here to kill you, Tubbo," Tommy whispered hoarsely. He swallowed back tears, but they just kept coming. "I came here to tell you... That I don't- that I hate myself. I want to be with L'Manburg; I- I can't just watch Techno destroy it."

Techno staggered backwards slightly; Dream smiled viciously, his real mouth just visible beneath his mask. 

"Tommy. Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Techno said, his voice echoing throughout the ruins.

Tommy finally forced himself to face him. "I can't do this anymore!" he cried out. "I can't pretend to hate Tubbo anymore, I just can't! I'm sorry, Techno, but- we just don't have the same idea of what justice is."

"I gave you a chance," Techno said slowly, dangerously. "I gave you my respect, I told you you could sit it out. I gave you a choice, because I respected our differences." He paused, and for a moment Tommy could hear the pain in Techno's voice, clear as day. "And this... Is how you repay me?"

"I'm sorry." Tommy whispered.

"Tommy... You can't just- Tommy, are you really-" Tubbo stammered.

Tommy cut him off. "I'm not the next Wilbur, Tubbo."

"And I'm not Schlatt, but- Tommy, it's just not as simple as that! You still have to pay for... this!" He stared around at the ruins of the community house, the citizens of L'Manburg waiting with baited breath. 

"I DIDN'T-"

"So give me the disc, Tubbo," Dream said casually. "Unless you're willing to execute Tommy for this?" 

Tommy saw Tubbo glance down at his side, seeming to realise that they'd already come close to killing each other anyway. And they could use the community house as an excuse; but in reality, neither of them cared about the rubble around them.

Silently, Tubbo opened his ender chest, holding Mellohi as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

"NO!"

Again, Tommy attempted to attack; but he wasn't prepared for Tubbo's broken scream of frustration.

From the corner of his eye, Tommy saw Techno step forwards, ready to intervene; but he couldn't understand why, because Techno didn't care about the disc- but then he suddenly felt it. Not only the gash in his side from minutes ago, but Tubbo launching himself forwards, and attacking- 

The last thing he saw was blood dripping down, covering his face, and he knew Tubbo had slashed his face clean open because there was just so much red, and he was on the floor, and- he saw Mellohi, right in front of his face. On the floor, covered in his own blood. He saw a green sleeve reaching down, picking up the disc, and wiping it off.

As he faded out, he heard someone yelling "TOMMY!" But he didn't know who.


	2. Dream's 'Compassion'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy lies in the ruins of the community house, bleeding out and dangerously near death.
> 
> Dream is uncharacteristically gentle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW- thanks for all the comments! You've shown so much support in a short amount of time, so thanks so much for that!
> 
> This is kind of a short chapter, but don't worry, because I'm working on the next chapter right now (and for once I know where I'm going with it).
> 
> Enjoy!

Dream watched, smiling, at Tommy lying on the ground, bleeding endlessly.

His smile grew wider when he didn't get back up- he saw only faint, shallow movements as his chest moved up and down. He was barely breathing at all.

He watched multiple emotions flicker across Tubbo's face in a matter of seconds. Then it seemed to all click into place. "TOMMY!" he screamed, tears starting to form. They were dyed red as they coursed down his face, spattered blood decorating his face like grotesque freckles.

He started to stumble towards Tommy's unconscious form on the ground. Techno, too, leaped down from the pile of rubble, running towards the barely-alive Tommy. Dream switched his smile off, and was there long before either of them, kneeling gently by his side. Bewildered, Tubbo stepped back. Blood was still steadily covering his arm, but he didn't seem to notice anymore.

"He'll be okay," Dream said gently. "I'll make sure of it."

"He's not breathing," Tubbo whispered, barely audible. "Don't tell me I killed him, I- I-" His voice dissolved into sobs. Dream struggled to look sympathetic- because in full honesty, this was the most chaos he'd seen in months. This was much more enjoyable than a simple exile. He fought a smile, but thankfully Tubbo didn't notice, blinded completely by tears.

Effortlessly, he bundled the blood-covered Tommy in his arms, feigning compassion. He brushed Tommy's hair from his face, taking in the depth of the gash that stretched diagonally, across his nose, deep and brutal- an undeniable permanent scar.

He shifted Tommy onto his shoulder carefully; and then, moving his mask yet again so the lower half of his face was just visible, allowed himself to smile.

Tubbo and Techno stood side by side; Tubbo couldn't tear his eyes away from Tommy. But Techno, armed with much more context, stared down Dream with an unmoving glare. He saw the telling smile grow on Dream's face.

"Dream?!" Techno demanded, a clear threat in his voice.

"W-Wait, what are you-"

Dream didn't allow Tubbo to finish his sentence; Tubbo only saw a flash of dark blue as he threw an ender pearl over the ruins of the community house, far into the distance.

"WAIT!"

Dream smirked. "See you later," he said calmly. "Murderer."

Then he was gone. And even from twenty feet or so away, Dream heard it- the agonising, guilt-filled scream that echoed throughout L'Manberg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. I, uh- I like angst. I have no other defence. 
> 
> Please comment below if you wanna leave any cool theories or headcanons, because I love reading stuff like that :)


	3. The Surgery/Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> =DESCRIPTIONS OF SEVERE WOUNDS/BLOOD/STITCHES IN THIS CHAPTER=
> 
> Safe in the middle of the woods, Dream saves Tommy from the brink of death.
> 
> He needs Tommy alive for what he has planned.

Dream materialised in the middle of a forest. Now at a safe distance, he hitched his mask up into his hair; not that he'd tell anyone, but it was getting hard to breathe with it on. Especially when he was stifling laughter. He had wanted to start wheezing as soon as Tubbo slashed Tommy's face; but Tubbo was under his control, and still thought that Dream was in general a nice guy. That was bound to end soon if Techno helped Tubbo try some daring rescue. Dream's motivations were sure to come up in conversation; and therefore, so would Dream's recent little games with Tommy. A shame. Another pawn lost. And Tubbo, the most easily influenced president ever known, was a useful pawn to have.

He laughed to himself again as he traced his own scar that slashed straight through his eye, normally completely hidden by his mask. Funny, really; they had nearly matching scars now. He thought for a moment about whether Tommy too would take to wearing a mask to hide his face, but quickly shook it off- Tommy didn't have the patience for that, and masks were Dream's brand, not Tommy's.

Oh well. He had more important things to focus on- like making sure that Tommy lived. At this point, he was certain that Tommy would rather be dead; but that just made rescuing him from the brink of death so much more fun.

There's not much fun in saving someone that wants to be saved.

Carefully, Dream sat down in the grass, laying Tommy down. Tommy's face ever so slightly flinched; not a good sign. He'd much rather him stay unconscious and quiet for now. He sterilised the gash across Tommy's face. He was about to start the unpleasant task of sewing Tommy back together, when he realised that it was likely the pain would force Tommy back into consciousness. Dream sighed, and held a wet cloth against Tommy's nose; slowly, any movement stopped as he forced Tommy into complete unconsciousness. He wasn't sure it would even work; you have to be breathing, and it wasn't immediately clear whether Tommy was doing that. Which wasn't good; he needed Tommy alive.

He returned to stitching; once he'd both sewn and bandaged Tommy's face, he turned to the gash in his side. He could understand the face- it had been a surprise attack- but the massive wound in his side was plain recklessness. He'd focused too much on attacking rather than defending.

He'd have to deal with the dried blood that covered both Tommy and his own clothes later. He wasn't exactly sure how long the anaesthesia would last, and he wasn't in the mood to chase a drugged, delirious Tommy around the server. Now that Tommy was bandaged and a bit less fragile, he picked him up less carefully, holding him over his shoulder. He was light for a 17-year-old, too light- of course, weeks of exile and not much food was most likely the issue. A shame; just as he was getting close to his exile ending, he was stolen away from L'Manberg yet again. 

He could feel Tommy breathing heavier now as Dream stood up, and started making his way to the Greater Dream SMP. He'd clearly been successful in saving Tommy's life; he wasn't sure he'd be thanked for it when Tommy woke up, though.

Not where they were going.

\----------

Admittedly, Dream was panting by the time they got to Pandora's Vault. It was a far enough distance as it was, but carrying Tommy's dead weight was getting gradually harder; especially now as the drugs were starting to wear off, and every so often he twitched or half-struggled in a pitiful escape attempt.

He at least had another few hours until Tommy was capable of even swearing or trying to defend himself, though, so Dream wasn't worried. Tommy had always been a restless sleeper; many times, Dream had guided Tommy through panic attacks in the middle of the night. Exile hadn't been beneficial for Tommy's already fragile mental health. It had been fun to watch, how those weeks alone had made him so much quieter, so much more obedient.

Now he was in public, he pulled his mask down. Sam was always around here somewhere, making adjustments or fixing something. He'd have to alert Punz and Sapnap of their new guest. They were both always near Pandora's Vault, but shockingly they hadn't been needed as guards yet. Guards weren't that necessary anyway; it was impossible to escape a cell, let alone the entire prison. Although Dream was very much looking forward to watching Tommy's futile attempts.

He carried Tommy up endless flights of stairs; as he walked, he was sure Tommy was growing more conscious, fully aware of his surroundings but unable to do anything about it. Dream smiled; they were inside. There wasn't a single thing Tommy could do to save himself now.

This was worth far more than sixty-four diamonds.

Finally, they reached the cell at the tallest point in the building, one of the four towers. The cell that had always been especially reserved for Tommy.

"Okay, Tommy, I know you can hear me, so listen up," Dream said, a mocking false kindness in his tone. "This is Pandora's Vault; your new... home, let's say." He dropped the act, becoming gravely serious. "And I'm telling you now, the chances of getting out of here are about the same as you ever getting Mellohi back. Got it?"

There was no answer, as expected, but Dream knew he had been heard. Opening the door, Dream settled Tommy onto the bed. Just as he was emptying all of Tommy's pockets, he saw tears spill from his closed eyes. He smiled- he'd definitely been heard.

He shut the door behind him; Tommy flinched as he heard the bang, and the clunk of the key in the lock.

As he was leaving, Dream said calmly, "Oh, and don't bother yourself by thinking someone will save you. Everyone thinks you're dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I had to include Pandora's Vault in this; I can't wait until it's involved in the canon plot!
> 
> So, uh, I'm sorry, I did save Tommy's life but- wow, he won't be happy when he wakes up.


	4. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo starts to come to terms with Tommy's death.
> 
> But when he finally brings himself to look at his compass, he realises there's hope.

For a second, Tubbo just stood there, frozen, staring at where Dream had just disappeared, the lingering violet particles mocking him. He heard an agonising, pain-filled scream, and vaguely recognised it as his own voice; and he was kneeling on the ground, but didn't remember when he had ended up on the floor.

Around him, everyone had descended into total chaos. The crowd was divided, either worried for Tommy, or fear for Tubbo's mental wellbeing- but overall, an overriding confusion about what the hell Dream planned to do by kidnapping a half-dead teenager. Technoblade was the only one amongst them who knew the truth, and knew exactly where Tommy (the fucking asshole) was headed.

If he was even alive.

"Tubbo, what the HELL?! You fucking killed him!" Quackity yelled.

"Shut up, Q, he'd clearly lost it! He can't even hear you," Fundy replied.

More and more people spoke up, all of them desperate to convince the rest to either help Tommy or help Tubbo. Techno stood silently, ignoring the general din- at the very least, Tommy's near-death had gotten the attention off of him. For a moment, Techno considered taking advantage of this and escaping, before they realised that he'd only recently escaped execution and was a wanted criminal- but then he looked at Tommy's blood on the floor, and felt a wave of fear for the boy. Of course Tommy was a fucking idiot- he'd always known that- but... could he really blame him for turning his back? Techno's one goal was to destroy Tommy's home. Their ideals didn't exactly line up.

They were both clear about that at the very start. But Techno had taken him in, cared for him, hidden him from his abuser, for weeks. But maybe that didn't matter. Showing sympathy for someone being very clearly abused was expected, a low bar. And besides, they were brothers- Techno wasn't exactly going to allow Tommy to freeze to death. Despite the voices, who often casually told him to use Tommy's blood as a decoration for his cottage.

He sighed, still staring at the blood on the floor, then at Tubbo. For once, maybe his personal endeavours could come second. Since no-one else was trying to help this severely traumatised child.

Tubbo wasn't even attempting to defend himself from those who were on Tommy's side; he was still on the ground, his arm bleeding steadily, but he didn't seem to notice through the haze of adrenalin. He just sat numbly, shaking as he stared at the axe that was covered in Tommy's blood. 

Techno pushed Ranboo gently aside, and knelt down next to Tubbo.

"Tubbo," he said gently. "I know you're in shock, but you're going to pass out if-"

"I killed him," Tubbo said slowly. "I saw it, I saw him stop breathing. He's dead, Tech... I saw it, he stopped- he stopped breathing, I was just so frustrated, but I- I couldn't have killed him. Don't tell me I killed him."

"We don't know that," Techno said. "We don't know where he is, either, but I have a good idea; so we're just going to fix your arm, and find Tommy. Right?" He silently added, 'And then I'm going to kill him for being an asshole'. But he left that part out, if only for the remnants of Tubbo's sanity.

But Tubbo clearly didn't hear a single word. He stared right through Techno with unfocused eyes, watching his axe slice straight through Tommy's face. 

Again and again and again.

Techno sighed, and wiped the spattered blood off of Tubbo's face. It was unclear whether it was Tubbo's or Tommy's; crimson covered the entire floor of the ruined community house. He practically picked Tubbo up, helping him to his feet.

"Techno, where are you-" Ranboo started.

"I'm not having two teenagers die on my watch," Techno replied tiredly. "Either follow me, or stop these lot-" he nodded towards the people crowded around them- "From starting another revolution."

Ranboo spared a concerned glance at the mounting hostility, then at Tubbo, who was gazing at the floor, unblinking, and growing paler by the second.

"They'll be okay," Ranboo said, not convincing Techno at all. "Tubbo needs more help than they do."

Techno nodded slowly, and they both gently led Tubbo to Phil's house.

Tubbo didn't say a word.

\----------

Safe in the quiet of Phil's house, Phil, Ranboo and Techno all attempted to question Tubbo, to absolutely no avail.

"Why'd you even fight him, Tubbo? Y'know Tommy, he's all talk, and you're both only on one life!" Phil half-scolded.

Tubbo blinked in response, opened his mouth slightly as if trying to speak, before closing it again and continuing his blank stare. Every so often a single tear would fall from his eye, completely unnoticed.

Techno was busying himself with bandaging Tubbo's arm; but out of sheer practice, he barely needed to look at the wound as he worked, and was fixing Tubbo with a steely glare as if that would make him talk. Most of his verbal softness had disappeared now that the initial shock had properly set in. 

Despite how gentle Techno was being with Tubbo's arm, his words were growing harsher.

"You just up and ban him, and then welcome him home with a good old axe to the face, Tubbo?" Techno demanded, quiet but scornful. "You should've seen him in exile, he was practically dead, he didn't care about anything anymore because of what that bastard did to him..."

Ranboo interrupted. "Bastard being...?"

"DREAM!" Techno yelled. Tubbo flinched, and he adjusted his volume. "Dream spent weeks and weeks with Tommy, psychologically abusing him, putting all sorts of delusions in his head. Phil, I've never seen him like that. The old Tommy was an asshole, but at least he had some sort of passion about L'Manberg. This Tommy? ...He only cared about the fucking discs because it was the only thing he had left that hadn't willingly abandoned him."

He shot a glare at Tubbo, knowing he wouldn't notice. But he did. He had turned, and was staring right at him, a burning anger in his eyes.

Tubbo finally spoke up, his voice hoarse but certain. "Tommy isn't dead."

"We don't know that," Techno said quietly.

"Yes we do," Tubbo said. He looked down at the compass normally worn around his neck that he now held in his hand, and sure enough, as he pointed it in different directions, the needle moved with him.

Techno, for a brief moment, smiled. Then he switched it off as he realised where exactly the needle was pointing towards. He met Tubbo's tear-filled but now smiling gaze. 

"He's in Pandora's Vault," Techno said.

Techno's theory being confirmed had little effect; everyone stared at him blankly.

"THE MASSIVE FUCKING PRISON," Techno explained, overly-loudly.

"Oh," Phil said. Then it set in. "Oh... no..."

In full honesty, Ranboo had thought it was a massive storage system- but on second thought, it being a prison explained why it had lava for windows. He glanced over at Tubbo, highly concerned that another panic attack was on the way.

"I don't understand," Tubbo whispered. "I don't- I don't- what prison?"

"Dream's little project," Techno replied bitterly. "The apparently 'inescapable' prison."

Silence fell over the room, all of them lapsing into their own thoughts. Tubbo stood up, swaying slightly, before steadying himself on the side of the table.

"To 'Pandora's Vault' it is, then," he said simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really struggled with this chapter and what the hell Techno would do. I decided that as a big brother, hopefully he'd at least help Tubbo. XD
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Hopeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream makes sure Tommy has no hope of rescue.
> 
> Meanwhile, Tommy finds himself in Technoblade's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =SPOILERS FOR DREAM SMP S2 FINALE=
> 
> Okaaaay! So, I started this when The Green Festival was happening, just before the destruction of L'Manberg, right? It was meant to be an alternate ending kind of thing, if the festival had gone south.
> 
> Since then, Tubbo's almost died and Dream is in FUCKING PRISON (thank God). 
> 
> So my question to you is: should I carry this on, and make the entire fic an alternate ending to Dream SMP S2? 
> 
> OR should I write a separate fic about the amazing finale?

"To 'Pandora's Vault' it is, then."

Good luck. Dream stood right outside Phil's door, and had to fight the urge to laugh at Tubbo's naïve optimism. He clearly had never seen the prison Technoblade was rightfully nervous about. Although physically he was recovering well, Tommy was dead in every way that mattered. Even Dream didn't know of a way to escape the prison, or even to enter without knowing the intricate redstone that Sam had spent hours teaching him. Tommy was no longer a problem.

The little rescue team's attempts at breaking Tommy out would be entertaining- but politically speaking, imprisoning a child (and former Vice President of L'Manberg) wasn't a good move. Especially as all of the SMP had witnessed Dream 'kidnap' Tommy and leave a traumatised Tubbo to lose his mind with guilt. He smiled. He initially had come to simply eavesdrop, checking whether Tubbo had truly lost his tiny mind... But he had a better plan now.

He'd told Tommy that everyone thought he was dead simply because then he'd have no hope, and wouldn't have the motivation for escape attempts. But... a fake death wouldn't be such a bad idea. He wouldn't have to concern himself with the politics of imprisoning a child if that child was dead to society.

He knocked on the door, moving his mask up slightly so that his mouth and nose were visible (he'd learnt over the years that Techno especially was more likely to trust him if he wasn't hiding as much of his face).

Silence fell over the tiny house. Then, chaos.

"It's just someone from the community house," Phil said calmly.

"Yeah, they've come to tell us about their decision to execute Tubbo!" Techno said urgently.

"What?!" Tubbo cried out.

"Why would they want to do that...?" Ranboo said.

"Because it looks like Tubbo just killed a guy!"

"Just answer the door, Techno," Phil said.

Techno grumbled, muttering something about how killing two teenagers today wasn't an ideal plan, before shuffling to the door. He cracked the door open.

"Tubbo isn't accepting any visi-" He stopped in his tracks when he saw who it was. Dream stood calmly, forcing himself to look suitably grave. Techno threw the door fully open, his hand flying to his sword handle out of pure reflex. 

Dream crossed his arms, drawing attention to the fact that he himself was unarmed and unthreatening. "May I come in?" he said gently.

Tubbo stood behind Techno, clearly ready for a fight, despite being unsteady from the impressive amount of blood loss. Ranboo didn't quite know what was going on, but still stood in front of Tubbo protectively, sensing the teenager's oncoming stupid decision to try and take on Dream in a fight.

Dream, seeing that he wasn't getting an answer, pushed Techno aside carefully, making sure his weapons were out of sight. "I just came to say that... I did all I could. Sapnap and Bad tried to help too, but... Tommy's gone. I'm sorry."

Techno didn't even hesitate. In an instant, his sword was held dangerously close to Dream's throat. Lowly, he said, "I didn't hide that kid from you for weeks for you to get away with killing him now."

"If you remember-" he shot a teasing glance at Tubbo, who looked away immediately- "I had nothing to do with Tommy's death."

Furious, but not wanting to get blood all over Phil's house, Techno stepped back, albeit reluctantly. It was clear Techno didn't believe a word Dream was saying. Dream maintained his sombre demeanour, and reached into his bag. He pulled out Tommy's shirt, which was wrapped around his compass. Tubbo's compass, now around Tubbo's neck again, pointed straight towards Dream and the bloodied shirt. Bloodied was an understatement; you wouldn't have been able to tell that it was once white. No one would survive losing that much blood. Everyone seemed to realise that, as the anger towards Dream slowly dissipated, replaced with shock. Dream knew Tommy's shirt was a good way of making everyone realise the weight of Tommy's fatal injuries. That was why he'd covered Tommy's shirt in chicken blood.

Dream knelt down to Tubbo's level. Tubbo could smell the metallic blood, still so terrifyingly fresh, all over Tommy's shirt. And, now that he was closer, he saw the blood that covered Dream's hands. Dream had tried to save Tommy.

Dream unwrapped the compass from the shirt, held it in his hand, and then slowly handed it over to Tubbo, as if dealing with a frightened animal. There it was, Tubbo's Tommy; but the glass was cracked, and as Tubbo wiped it, crimson covered his sleeve.

He choked back a sob.

Dream passed the shirt to Phil. He held it in his hands, and suddenly felt the wave of grief that he'd been repressing all this time. Another son, dead. And he didn't think this one was going to return as a ghost. Hardly aware of the other people in the room, he folded the ruined shirt and placed it on the counter. He made his way over to Tubbo, whose breath was becoming worryingly irregular.

"Breathe, Tubbo," Phil murmured, holding his shoulders. "Breathe for me."

Tubbo finally reacted, let out a sob, and then buried his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs that he couldn't repress.

Techno still stood by the door, watching his family shaking with shock, needing desperately to kill something, make something feel the pain his brother had felt in his last moments. He stared at Dream as the voices commanded him to take a life for a life. Dream had probably watched Tommy bleed out in his arms, doing nothing, smiling as the life drained out of his eyes.

"Out," Techno managed to choke out.

Dream blinked at Techno innocently through his mask.

"GET OUT!"

Dream almost flinched, but then nodded. "I'm so sorry for your loss," he said quietly. Phil nodded back in response, managing a small smile. Dream stood back up, and smiled gently at Techno as he left.

"It was inevitable," Dream hissed, only Techno being able to hear. "If Tubbo hadn't killed him, you would have eventually, with the state your head's in. You should never have been let near him."

Before Techno could even react, Dream had disappeared.

\----------

Tommy felt like he was burning. It almost felt nice- the warmth was comforting. It reminded him of when he'd first found Techno's house, and made himself a room. He'd spent hours walking aimlessly through the snow. Techno had found his makeshift room almost immediately, swore at him, called him a 'racoon'; but still bundled him up in his cloak and roughly sat him down by the fire.

Techno was nice to him.

The second thought that occurred to him was that he must've gotten lost in the woods- Techno must've brought him back, and here he was, asleep next to the fire. He couldn't remember what he had left Techno's house for. 

"Tec-no?" 

He was shocked at the echo that responded. Technoblade's house didn't do that. It was too small.

"Tec'no..." He was vaguely aware that he sounded odd. He almost laughed at the blurriness of his voice. But then he realised that he wasn't getting a response. If Techno was here, he would've responded by now, or at the very least yelled a vague answer from upstairs. 

Finally, he opened his eyes; to see a dull black. Ceiling. A ceiling, he thought- through his barely functioning vision, he saw the outline of dull black bricks, dimly aglow. As his eyes tried to adjust to the strange brightness, he felt something stretching across his face. He felt like everything was so much slower; he could barely lift his arms, but eventually he brought his hand to his face. A line? Jagged, from his forehead to his jawline. 

He jolted upright. A scar. A scar, and stitches, and for fuck's sake, Techno would be furious with him for doing something so reckless. He still didn't know how he'd gotten it, but all he knew was he was injured from doing something stupid, and Techno had most likely begrudgingly saved him from death, muttering angrily the whole time.

But no. Because the warmth wasn't from Technoblade's fireplace. Sitting up on the tiny bed, he found himself staring right at where a door should be- but instead, a wall of lava stared back at him.

There were no windows.

No door.

And this most definitely wasn't Technoblade's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave in the comments where you think I should take this... I had a very clear idea of where I was taking this, but then... the finale kinda threw a wrench in the system, and I need to rethink some crucial details. Eeeek.
> 
> On the bright side, we know all know what the interior of the prison looks like, which is great!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! <3


	6. A Broken Façade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy tries to stay his stubborn self when faced with a visit from Dream.
> 
> It doesn't last long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo it's been a bit! But I have an idea where I'm going with this now, so please enjoy Awesamdad! I'll be updating more regularly now by the wayyy <3

Tommy could feel the lava burning his face. The scar barely mattered now; all he knew was he was injured, literally scarred for life, and surrounded by lava. Flashes of a bridge crossed his mind, and the deafening, comforting thought of letting go. It'd be nice just to-

He wasn't in the Nether. Tommy forced himself to realise that, focused on the bricks, and muttered, "Dream's not here."

He'd been taught that by Technoblade, when he'd first found Tommy desperately trying to escape the cottage in the midst of a panic attack. He'd hated that repeating that simple sentence helped. He forced himself to forget about Techno, and stared down at his bloodstained hands, repeating the three words to himself until visions of bridges and heights seemed to clear.

Vaguely, he knew that this was Dream's doing. The warmth was no longer comforting. Still sat on the bed and not knowing whether he was capable of standing up, he focused his attention on yelling his lungs out, hoping to hell that wherever he was, some human being with a conscience would hear him.

"I'M NOT DEAD, DICK!" he screamed out. Only the walls answered, repeating the phrase over and over. Tommy did the same, repeating back, adding variants of insults until he ran out of air. Eventually, he knew, he'd have to attempt to stand; but he couldn't feel his legs, and he was still painfully aware of the blurry haze that was caused by whatever he had been drugged with whilst unconscious. He admitted to himself that he wasn't entirely sure that he was thinking straight, but shook the thought off stubbornly, focusing his attention of either muttering swear words, or outright yelling them every time he regained some energy.

That fucking bastard. At this point, he was certain that he'd rather be dead. Here he was, practically paralysed, delirious, after being on the brink of death for God knows how long-

Which begged the question, why _wasn't_ he dead?

This was Dream's prison. And if Dream had put him in here, then the stitches and life-saving were his doing. Dream had- but that didn't make any sense. He wanted him dead, he'd spent weeks attempting to drive him to suicide, he'd nearly succeeded... So why on earth would Dream save his life? He was a prick, but he was a clever, manipulative prick. Tommy was alive for a reason, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to know why.

He had a feeling he was focusing on the wrong thing. Tommy swore at himself, attempting to remember what the hell had led him to be thrown in here; but after many minutes of staring at the apathetic floor, only half-formed flashes of rubble and chaos crossed his mind. Which was completely useless.

He raked his fingers through his hair, horrified when he discovered that dried blood was still embedded in the back of his head. Then, slightly deliriously, he almost laughed at himself when he thought, 'Well, on the bright side, at least there's no stitches.' So this was what being beaten half to death had done to him; he was almost thinking optimistically. He sounded like Tubbo. 

That was more of a comforting thought. Dream really had lost it if he thought he could nearly kill him and then throw him in prison without Tubbo eventually catching on. Ghostbur would realise that Tommy was no longer at Techno's, and definitely tell Tubbo- or at the very least Phil. And Techno would fucking KILL Dream for this. Once he'd killed Tommy for getting caught.

He wondered whether Techno had figured out he was missing yet. He had no idea how long it had been, but surely not that long; the scar felt like it had only just happened. If it had been over three weeks, the stitches would have been removed. Right?

It scared Tommy to think about how much time had potentially passed, so he distracted himself by thinking about how dead Dream would be when Techno eventually got ahold of him. Three lives gone in one slash of his sword, most likely. He allowed himself to smile at the thought of Techno robbing Dream of all _his_ shit.

Tommy still didn't exactly know how he'd managed to be caught. Maybe a thievery mission to L'Manberg had gone wrong- but if that was the case, Dream had taken all of his stolen goods, because his pockets were pitifully empty. Fuck Dream and his stupid whale-sized ego.

He bit his lip. Swearing at Dream in his head wasn't helping. He could swear at him in real life if he ever eventually 'graced' Tommy with a visit. It pained him to even think it, but if he was honest with himself, he'd be grateful. It disgusted him, but the comforting feeling of familiarity came running back when he thought of Dream visiting him again. 

No. No, fuck him.

Tommy turned his head towards the wall of lava, wincing at the warmth burning his eyes. Slowly, he sat up straighter, and then stood up in a rush of impatience- only to immediately crash to the ground. Fuck.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he groaned. Leaning against the frame of his bed, he used the wall to try to stand again. For a few moments, he stood panting, victorious. And then the horrendous nausea of standing up after so long sent him crumbling to the ground.

"FUCK," he said, louder.

He settled for leaning against the brick wall, sitting right next to his bed. His attempt at moving even a meter had proved to be almost impossible. Not that he'd admit it to anyone else, but he was forced to admit internally that he wasn't quite in a state to stand yet.

His head shot up when he heard voices seconds later. Relieved tears pricked his eyes.

But the relief dissipated when he realised that there were only two voices, neither of which sounded like Techno. The voices escalated, clearly arguing about something- but there was no way that Tommy could hear them through the layers upon layers of lava.

Eventually, they seemed to come to some sort of agreement; the lava started to lower. He craned his neck to look over the lowering gate, and saw a flash of green. Quickly, he tried to scramble to his feet, because there was no way in hell that Dream was going to see him like this- but it was no use. After seconds of trying to get his body to co-operate, he fell back down. He was on the brink of a panic attack, and was hiding it extremely poorly.

He remembered Techno, telling him to breathe in the dead of night, when he felt certain that he was going to die. Techno awkwardly wrapping an arm around him, offering his robe as a second blanket. Techno, his older brother, not the Blade. It was rare seeing him like that.

Tommy was jolted back into his cell when he heard an audible concerned gasp. He snapped his head over to the now visible bridge, and looked up to see Sam and Dream, towering over him. He wasn't sure whether he appreciated the company, or whether he'd rather be by himself, pretending to be in Techno's cottage.

"Dream, I- he's a child," Sam whispered, his forehead creasing with pity. It wasn't clear whether he intended Tommy to hear, but for once Tommy didn't care. If being a child is what got him enough pity points to be let out, he'd gladly accept.

He moved his gaze to Dream, whose mask offered no concern or pity whatsoever.

"A child whose destructive tendencies are a danger to everyone on this server," Dream said. The whole time, he kept his gaze fixed on the dishevelled Tommy; his mask only just hid the smile growing on his face.

"But Dream, his face- who did this to him?"

"Who the fuck d'you think?" Tommy said, finally finding his voice. His escalating breathing was becoming obvious.

Sam glanced over at Dream with something approaching disgust. It morphed into concern when Dream didn't defend himself. But then, a sadistic smile stretched across his face. "You think I'd do this?"

The innocent tone made Tommy's skin crawl. "You think you wouldn't?" He hated how broken he sounded, it felt like he was letting Dream win to some extent; but as soon as he thought this, he forced himself to look around. It didn't matter what his attitude towards this shitshow was- he was still surrounded by lava, and owned nothing but depression and comforting thoughts of running head-first into lava. Dream had won months ago, as soon as Tommy had been exiled.

"Dream," Sam said coldly. "Just explain to me why there is a heavily injured and panicked child in my prison."

Dream appeared to change tactics. "Moving on from the fact that he deserves this," Dream said, refusing to match Sam's cold tone, "It's also the safest place for him right now. Tubbo would've done much worse to him if I hadn't been there to step in."

Despite talking to Sam, Tommy didn't leave his sight. He resisted the urge to laugh when Tommy's eyes filled with tears.

"What?" he whispered. "What d'you- Dream-" He swallowed back tears, and forced himself to meet Dream's eyes. " _You_ fucking did this. Don't try and act like- like Tubbo would do this because you- you're talking bullshit."

The swearing did nothing to hide the cracking façade of anger. Dream finally moved, walking over to Tommy. Leaning down to where he was slumped against the wall, he pulled Tommy into a hug. Immediately, a string of colourful swears left Tommy's mouth, as he desperately tried to pull out of Dream's grasp; Dream just held tighter.

"Tommy, I'm sorry," Dream said. "But Tubbo did this to you. Don't you remember the fight?" He felt Tommy's shoulders tense, and immediately knew he didn't believe a word. So carefully, he added, "And- I- I found this."

He released Tommy from the forced hug, and pulled something out from his pocket. Heavily cracked and broken, but cleaned of blood, was Tommy's compass. "Tubbo's compass," Dream said. "I found it in the river... He must've thrown it in there a while ago, it was at the bottom collecting rust... I'm sorry."

He pressed the ruined compass in Tommy's hand. He watched countless rebuttals flash through Tommy's mind, but then, amazingly, he cracked. Helplessly, pathetically, tears started to form in his eyes. Dream pulled him back into a hug; not a word left his mouth in response, and Tommy only clung tightly onto Dream's hoodie, sobbing openly for the first time in years.

Sam watched this scene unfold with complete and utter sadness and confusion. Sam knew that Tommy had a rough time in exile, he'd even offered him a place to stay, but the more he watched Dream and Tommy interact, the more he became certain that something had happened in those months, more than just Tommy missing his home. And he didn't know how, but he was going to get to the bottom of it. In truth, he'd always known that there was something more to Dream, something other than a powerful leader. Sometimes, in moments where Dream was losing, Sam saw it- the deranged need for control, hidden by the respect others had for him. It sickened him to think that Sam had been following such a madman's orders, but- he'd also thought the prison would be a good idea. After so much war, didn't the server deserve some sort of deterrent?

Finally, Tommy seemed to regain his composure. "F-Fuck _off_ , Dream," he muttered, shoving Dream off. Shocked, Dream almost lost his balance.

He stood up, towering over Tommy. "Can you stand?"

"I- No."

Dream looked over to Sam, jerking his head towards Tommy's bed, a simple order to help. It ticked Sam off slightly, but nevertheless he gently held onto Tommy's arm as they both helped him back onto the bed. 

"Lie down, get some more rest," Dream said softly.

Tommy shook his head stubbornly, not trusting his voice to crack.

"Fine, have it your way. I'll visit you again soon, okay?"

"Don't bother," Tommy said.

Dream turned away, Sam following. As the bridge extended once again, Sam allowed himself to look back- Tommy had returned to staring at the floor, his head in his hands. He could see his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

As he stepped onto the bridge with Dream, he promised Tommy silently:

_I'll get to the bottom of this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Protective Awesamdad for the win-
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!! :)
> 
> (I'm sorry for the angst, but at this point this is my brand, soo uh, sorry XD)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic of the Dream SMP, because I've only recently become obsessed XD
> 
> I'd love to chat in the comments, so if you have any suggestions/requests for future pics, or some theories, please comment below because I miss human interaction :)
> 
> And this will be a series, so don't worry, Tommy may be saved.


End file.
